IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Cloister Street, NOTTINGHAM, NG7 2PG

Eccentric collection of ephemera surrounding Mister Fred narrowboat moored on the Beeston Canal at Lenton

On the north bank of the Beeston Canal.

William Stretton built this large castellated house called "The Priory” in 1802. After his death, his son Severus Stretton, sold the property to a group of nuns and it became part of a religious community and children's home ‘complex’. The Congregation of the Poor Sisters of Nazareth had, it seems, outgrown their house in St Ann's (established in 1876) and as a result the Sisters moved here in 1880. The care of the elderly became the new focus of their ministry between 1980-2002 until the Congregation’s financial difficulties made selling the site a necessity. The sale was completed in 2005 and all the buildings, with the exception of “Priory House” - as it was then known - were demolished and the area was turned into an up-market housing estate. The house has been converted in to an apartment block. A plaque on the far side of the building reads: "Bishops House, 1802". The branch of Nazareth Road on the left (a cul-de-sac in front of the white house), peters out within a matter of seconds, although pedestrians and cyclists can continue into Old Church Street using a footpath that reaches the Priory Church of St Anthony within a matter of minutes.

A distinctive piece of early 19th century domestic architecture. The house was designed and built by William Stretton in 1802 for his own use on part of the former Lenton Priory site, and was initially called 'The Priory'. The family ceased to use the house from around 1840, letting it to a variety of tenants. In 1880 it was sold to the Poor Sisters of Nazareth, a Roman Catholic order of nuns who particularly cared for the aged poor and homeless children. The order developed the surrounding grounds with extensive buildings, and remained on the site until 2002. During this period the complex was named Nazareth House. Following sale in 2005, all the other buildings were demolished and have been developed with new residential accommodation, the access road being named Nazareth Road. Despite the name, the house has no specific link with the (Catholic) Bishops of Nottingham.

Bishops House, ca. 1802. Architect: William Stretton

William Stretton built this large castellated house called "The Priory” in 1802. After his death, his son Severus Stretton. sold the property to a group of nuns and it became part of a religious community and children's home ‘complex’. The Congregation of the Poor Sisters of Nazareth had, it seems, outgrown their house in St Ann's (established in 1876) and as a result the Sisters moved here in 1880. The care of the elderly became the new focus of their ministry between 1980-2002 until the Congregation’s financial difficulties made selling the site a necessity. The sale was completed in 2005 and all the buildings, with the exception of “Priory House” - as it was then known - were demolished and the area was turned into an up-market housing estate. This house has been converted in to an apartment block. A plaque on the side of the building reads: "Bishops House, 1802". The branch of Nazareth Road on the right, a cul-de-sac, peters out within a matter of seconds although pedestrians and cyclists can continue into Old Church Street using a footpath that reaches the Priory Church of St Anthony within a minutes.

This cherry tree and a stone tablet on the ground beneath it exist as a memorial to the work of the Congregation of the Poor Sisters of Nazareth who looked after children (in a children’s home) and the elderly in a combined religious and care ‘complex’ here between 1880-2002. In the early 2000s the Congregation’s financial difficulties made selling the site a necessity. The sale was completed in 2005 and all the buildings, with the exception of “Priory House” - an early C19th castellated house behind the photographer - were demolished and the area turned into an up-market housing estate. The house has been converted into an apartment block. There is a branch of Nazareth Road behind the photographer’s left shoulder (a cul-de-sac) that peters out within a matter of seconds. Pedestrians and cyclists can however, continue into Old Church Street using a footpath. This reaches the Priory Church of St Anthony within a minute or two.